New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins on Thursday made his first public statement since his older brother, William H. Jenkins Jr., was arrested on suspicion of felony aggressive manslaughter in the death of Roosevelt Rene.

Jenkins acknowledged with "regret and sadness" the passing of Rene, whom the Giants cornerback called a "good friend" and noted the two were working on producing music together.

"It truly hurts my heart to know he has passed away," Jenkins said in a post on Instagram. "At the time of the incident, I was in Florida preparing to finish off my promotional tour.

"As this is an ongoing incident, I cannot answer any questions related to the investigation. I am praying for Roosevelt and his family."

Police and the Bergen County (N.J.) Prosecutor's Office are investigating the death as a possible strangulation/suffocation incident, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo previously reported.